Aftermath
by gw
Summary: This is a scene that could have happened at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban. A prequel to The Cleverest Witch of Her Age, but it can stand by itself. Oneshot. RLHG


Aftermath

Professor Lupin was seated at a table in his living quarters, the ink barely dry on the letter of resignation before him. He leaned back and rubbed his temples, fatigued and stressed. He was weak, and just beginning to recover from that eventful night.

_If I hadn't transformed, everything would've turned out different. Wormtail would be in the dementors' custody, Padfoot would be exonerated, and Harry would have some semblance of a home to look forward to._

_Thanks to Severus's indiscretion, my career is as good as finished here._

Two soft knocks on his door alerted him to a visitor. He really preferred seclusion right then, and didn't budge from the chair. Instead, he called out, "I'm a bit under the weather; could you perhaps come back some other time?"

A familiar voice caught him off-guard from the other side of the door. "Please, Professor? I just wanted to know that you were all right..."

_Hermione._

Remus stood up slowly—his entire body ached—and he walked over to the door to open it just a crack. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you. I'm afraid I'm not much to look at right now, but if you think you can stomach it, you're welcome to come in."

Without a word, Hermione gently pushed the door open further, and slipped inside, carrying a tray with a covered platter upon it. Remus closed the door once she'd cleared it.

Hermione set the tray down on the table, brushing the letter aside to make room. Then, bracing for the worst, she turned around to face her teacher. She winced when she saw the cuts and bruises on his face and arms; he was wearing a sleeveless undershirt and a pair of patched trousers, so she could see at least a portion of his untreated injuries. They were nothing a few healing charms couldn't fix, but still, she knew that he was in pain, both physical and otherwise. She composed herself. "I figured you could do with a hot meal, Professor."

_Ever so thoughtful._

Lupin took a few steps toward her, bringing them to a comfortable conversational distance. "Thank you."

Hermione hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and gently hugged Remus around his chest.

He was unprepared for that; he knew so few sane people who were willing to knowingly hug a werewolf, that he could count them on one hand. Not one to reject a kind gesture, he wrapped his arms around her, reciprocating.

She started crying.

Remus took a deep breath. "Shhh, everything will be all right," he cooed.

"I'm sorry," she said, her face still buried in his chest.

"What for?", he asked.

"For doubting you. I trusted you up until the Shrieking Shack, and then I got confused, and I doubted you, and I was wrong."

Remus reached for Hermione's shoulders and pushed her back just far enough that he could look into her eyes. "I forgive you. I realize the circumstantial evidence, the fact that Sirius didn't deny killing Harry's parents, and our poor choice of words must've seemed fairly damning at the time." He exhaled sharply in amusement as he recalled the scene, then wished he hadn't when his chest hurt. "There really wasn't anything wrong with your logic—the truth of the situation was particularly convoluted, and you did the best you could to make some sense of it."

"No, I jumped to conclusions." Hermione inclined her head to look into Remus's eyes. "You're...not angry?"

Remus wiped away some of the tears from Hermione's cheeks. "No, I don't think I could ever be angry with you. If anything, what I've been angry about has been my untimely transformation, which is another matter entirely." He stepped toward the table and sat down, then lifted the cover to see what food Hermione had brought. Plenty of meat and potatoes, with gravy. Probably a direct request of the house elves, given the ungodly hour. He'd completely lost track of the time. "Please forgive my manners, but you anticipated my needs exactly; I'm quite hungry." He picked up the fork and began eating.

"Of course. I figured you hadn't eaten in a while since you hadn't left your quarters since getting back." She knew his transformations used up all his energy. She sat down in a chair at his side and patiently waited for him to finish. She couldn't help but notice the resignation letter in front of her, and as she read it, she understood why it had to be. _Snape._

After a short time, Remus was satiated. He pushed the tray away, leaned forward, and buried his face in his hands, with his elbows on the table.

"Professor, why don't you take off your shirt and lie down, and I'll tend to your wounds properly."

_So selfless._

"Hermione, shouldn't you be heading off to bed yourself? It's past curfew."

She shook her head. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that some matters are more important than curfews." She stood up and disappeared into his private bathroom to draw some hot water into a bucket.

_Assertive._

He complied, and removed his shirt. Under other circumstances the act would be questionable, what with a student of the opposite sex in his quarters, but she was right, his wounds needed attention.

When Hermione returned, she found Remus lying on his bed. She couldn't help but gasp when she saw the extent of the lacerations across his chest. Padfoot and Buckbeak had really done a number on him, despite the former trying not to hurt him. She carried the bucket over to him, and sat down on the edge of his bed, then began dipping a washcloth into the solution in the bucket and using it to gently cleanse his wounds more thoroughly than he had done previously.

He winced, causing Hermione to hesitate.

"No, it's all right, please continue." he urged. "This has to be done, and to be perfectly honest, I prefer your bedside manner to Madam Pomfrey's."

"Didn't anyone come to take you to the hospital wing?", she asked.

"Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey came to take me there once they realized I was back, but I sent them away."

Hermione nodded, understanding.

"I'm really glad you came...you're probably the only person I'd allow in at the moment."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, and paused her ministrations. _Did he mean what he said? _She looked at his face. "Professor?"

Remus smiled. "You and Harry are my favorite students, you know. Perhaps..."

"Perhaps what, Professor?"

Remus took a deep breath. "Perhaps you're even more than that."

Hermione's heart beat a bit faster.

Remus took Hermione's free hand in his own. "Hermione, you're no less of a friend to me than Lily was. Only the two of you have shown such compassion to me, and tended to me as you have after my transformations. Granted, until yesterday—well, I guess technically it's two days ago now—I didn't realize that you'd long ago figured out what I was, though I should've suspected it when you stopped asking me to divulge the nature of my recurring illness. I didn't give you enough credit. I appreciate the discretion you've exercised on my behalf."

"It's not fair that you have to suffer persecution...the world is so ignorant, and it makes me mad to think of how miserable your life has been because of it. You're among the kindest, most memorable teachers I've ever had, always encouraging me and giving me advice..." She paused, and looked like she was going to choke up.

"Hermione?"

"Professor, there's something I need to tell you."

_She's probably going to tell me that Severus let the cat out of the bag._

Remus took the washcloth from Hermione and sat up, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"

She hesitated. "I...think..."

"Now, now, after recent events, it can't be all that bad..."

Hermione shook her head, the corners of her mouth turning up ever so slightly in amusement. "No, you don't understand." She took a deep breath, then explained, "I've...thought of you as...more than just a teacher."

Remus arched an eyebrow. "How so?"

Hermione bit her lip in concentration as she tried to decide how to word her thoughts. _I can't believe I'm actually going to tell him._

Remus waited patiently for her answer.

Realizing that an action was worth a thousand words, Hermione closed her eyes momentarily, summoning all of her Gryffindor courage. Upon opening them, she leaned toward Remus, and made as if to kiss him on the cheek.

But before her lips could make contact, Remus caught her shoulders, and shook his head. "No, Hermione. It's not appropriate. I'm your teacher, and you're my student."

Hermione shook her head. "You mean, you _were _my teacher, and I _was_ your student. I read your resignation letter. It wouldn't be inappropriate now."

Remus drew her close to him, and kissed her on the top of her head, the way a father might console his daughter. "No. Your adventure in life is just beginning. Mine is winding down, my future too unpredictable. It wouldn't be fair to you. I wish circumstances were different," he said softly.


End file.
